Active since 1996 and named taking inspiration from the the poem "Gesang Weylas" of the German romantic writer Eduard Mörike, Orplid are a duo formed by Frank Machau and Uwe Nolte. Their fourth album GREIFENHERZ will be released at the end of November and it will be a pleasant surprise for their fans and for all the ones who are willing to listen to something fresh into the neo-folk/industrial genre. The album has a wide range of influences and sound solutions that many names came to my mind, even the Portishead. Let me explain first, don't freak out! Ok, relax a bit and take a deep breath because Orplid didn't change their sound or their industrial approach to neo-folk, they only widened their sound palette. Using dramatic male and female vocals (sorry but I can't tell you who helped them because on the promo CD is missing her name) and orchestrations along with acoustic guitars and martial drums they created a great atmosphere which is enriched also by the massive use of melodies. I named Portishead because of how they used the organ pads/clean guitars on "Des Sperbers Geheimnis" and also for the use of sampled strings/female vocals on "Traum von Blashyrkh". It's great how they worked on these atmospheres adding more theatricality. You know, when you listen to Portishead you feel like a feeling of emptiness, well, Orplid kinda filled that emptiness with their dark vein. Despite my audacious comparison GREIFENHERZ has so much more to offer, thanks to acoustic ballads, electronic atmospheric tunes enriched by choirs (see "Der Anarchist" and the following "Gesang an den Horusfalken"). Great CD indeed! Don't miss it!

Named after the mythological seven headed monster as well as the secret terrorist organization of the Marvel Comics, Hydra is an English band that born from the ashes of Third Door From The Left and Birth Complex. Their first full length is titled WORSHIP YOUR DISEASES and it contains twelve good industrial post punk tracks. Try to imagine a post punk band with anarchic influences and substitute guitar and bass and drums with synths, samples, a drum machine and metal percussions and you'll have pretty much the idea of how Hydra sound. The trio has a good taste for melody and don't feel the need to hide the vocals under tons of effects, because lyrics are part of what they are (see also the choice of covering a Crass song titled "The sound of free speech"). Did you love Play Dead, Portion Control, Discarge and Skinny Puppy? Well, Hydra could satisfy your senses with their mix of aggressive, melodic and percussive industrial sound. I liked them and I highly suggest you to check some of their tunes here http://www.myspace.com/slainofthehydra.

What has started several years before with the promising Dark Electro act CRYOGENE offering a sound somewhere between X MARKS THE PEDWALK and DECODED FEEDBACK, went unfortunately completely down under before a first debut album for this act could see the light of the day. After some short musically interruptions with FRACTURED, the solo project FAMINE was born, but far away from the usual Electro/EBM formula. FAMINE creates a nervous sound outfit, which mixes Trip-Hop, Breakbeat, Clicks n’ Dub, Noise or even some wild pounding Black/Death Metal styles to a special and unforeseeable cocktail. Especially those drastically and speedy Metal tunes with deep growling vocals are storming violent the scenario and quite unexpected ("Blood Sacrifice"). But also attacking IDM/D’n’B-inspired teutonic pieces like "Hands" don’t take any prisoners. "Every Mirror Turns Black" fulfills the demand of an diverse and Experimental-oriented album, also and because it doesn’t forget to offer enough Dark Ambient in between the adrenaline-pumping smashers. Not an album in the expected line, rather more a new experience. Now it comes to grow and develop a more matured sound – the talent is immense, as this album proves it well.

Previously active as G.K. Agenda with three tracks released on an Invasion Planète Recordings' compilation titled "Sacrifice Moderne", Nosztalgia Direktiva is a minimal synth industrial project that already released under this moniker a track on the "Festival der Genialen Dissidenten" compilation (issued, like this E.P., on Enfant Terrible). Their self titled 7" E.P. contains four tracks where minimal electronic tunes pair dark atmospheres. Simple but effective melodic lines and analog sounds create the right background for mysterious semi recitative vocals. Nosztalgia Direktiva on "Tegnapok", "Amorphous", "Reflections" and "Néhanapare" are good at creating a mix of electro industrial pop for deviants. Their synths scratch the ears of the listener producing an insane pleasure. Soon available in a 300 copies run. Check three tracks on the label's website.

Named after a group of Munich artists active during the first decades of 20th century (some of them were Vasilij Kandinskij, Franz Marc, August Macke, Alexej von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin), Der Blaue Reiter (meaning "the blue knight") are releasing for Caustic Records their second full length album titled SILENCIS. The Spanish duo formed by Lady Nott and Sathorys Elenorth (active also with Narsilion) with this new album are presenting twelve new tracks divided into four different chapters titled respectively: "En sentir la tristor al cor", "Enfosquits els ulls de la mort", "Ordre i caos" and "Perdicio... l'espurna d'un trist record". Mixing quotes from classical interludes by Henry Purcell, Chopin and Antonio Vivaldi with martial atmospheres/rhythms, Der Blaue Reiter succeed into painting a personal vision of the decay of the world. They pass from energetic tracks with snare drums and vocals ("Eyes of the lost") to neo-classical/dark ambient suites like the following "Death and decadence". Rich orchestrations and classical minimalism (with some industrial ambient ambience) duet with ease creating a multifaceted canvas where the duo express their melancholy and their sadness. Songs, suites, industrial influences, everything is good to obtain an atmosphere of dreamy suspension where happiness is an old dusty memory.